WordPress 3.5 changes & improvements

WordPress 3.5 is coming, with an expected release less than two weeks away (WordPress.org have slated Dec 5th). The Release Candiate has been shipped so developers are advised to test for bugs and incompatibilities.

Usually, incremental updates (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 etc) are a collection of minor updates and bug fixes, however, the team have big changes in store for 3.5.

Welcome Screen on dashboard

WordPress 3.5 brings improvements for novice WordPress users, which will see a welcome section added to the dashboard. The dashboard may be confusing to beginners, so the welcome screen provides handy pointers of what to do next, such as change the theme, add a blog post, or change the menu.

Media Uploader revamp

Perhaps the biggest change to come with 3.5 is the revamped media uploader. Firstly, it looks great, opening in a new 3 column lightbox. Secondly, the new column layout is much more intuitive. It allows you to upload multiple images quickly and also edit the image information rapidly. I’m sure the new uploader will be a big favourite when 3.5 launches.

Twenty Twelve theme

The Twenty Eleven theme included with WordPress was a great starting point, featuring a responsive layout and many of the key features of WordPress, such as header images. Twenty Twelve takes things further with a beautifully simple responsive layout with support for retina devices. It is the very first WordPress default theme that comes with a homepage and follows the WordPress mantra of highlighting content first.

Of course, the update also includes many bug fixes and other minor improvements. The people at WordPress refuse to lie still and continue to innovate and push WordPress forward. Put simply, its another great update.